Party of Four: The First Trimester

It’s with uncontrollable joy that I start a new series to Singing With the Volume Up entitled: “Party of Four” to document Byron and I’s journey of becoming parents. This first post will be a tad longer than the normal weekly updates that will start next Friday. This initial post will highlight pivotal moments in our first trimester and catch all those up on our pregnancy journey that are not too familiar with it.

Endo what?
Byron and I met our junior year in high school through a mutual friend and after a few dates were inseparable. Yeah, right!!!! He stalked me, buttered my parents up, and convinced me to take a ride in his car that broke down half way through our first date. We fell in love fast, which was easy because Byron was probably the kindest man I had ever met. Fast forward six years, we were engaged on the beaches of Malibu and on May 30, 2009 we became the happiest couple in the world when we married.

After dating for nearly 8 years before we were married, we didn’t find it any use of waiting to start having a family, we felt that our lives would be the honeymoon and why not have the joys of bringing a little one along with us. Approximately five months after we married, Byron and I begin trying for our first child. After a year of having no success I scheduled an appointment with my OB-GYN. Around the same time I begin have extremely terrible abdominal pains that eventually led to me being rushed to the emergency room. A few days later I was diagnosed with Endometriosis and just one month later I was having surgery to remove apple sized cysts from my ovaries. We were devastated. The doctors informed me that the endometriosis was aggressive and that if we didn’t get pregnant soon our chances of conceiving would be slim to none. To increase our chances of conceiving I quit my stressful job, sought a slower paced career, and packed up our lives and relocated for a fresh start. What a wonderful husband I have to agree to all this in a matter of weeks! God truly blessed me in the hubby department. It was in this new start that I was connected to an amazing fertility specialist by a very now dear friend of mine. After our first appointment it was discovered that I now had a very large fibroid that was potentially blocking access to my fallopian tubes. It was recommended that I get something called an HSG and SIS to test if my fallopian tubes were open, to measure how large my fibroid was, and if it had damaged my uterus. In late November Byron and I arrived at the UCSD Hospital to complete both procedures in the same day. It was hands down the most painful experience I have ever had in my entire life.

I cried throughout the entire process and at one point requested to terminate the procedure due to the pain. The doctor looked me straight in the eyes and said, “this is for your baby, let’s finish”, and I did. After the procedure she informed us that both my tubes were open and that the fibroid was in fact large but had not damaged my uterus. She encouraged us to try our hardest to get pregnant within these next three months as our chances of conceiving were over 30% higher. I chalked up her words as more fluff that I had heard from so many doctors and schedule our first fertility treatment appointment for one month later. As a way to boost my spirits my mother called me and reminded me about all the women that she knew that had gotten pregnant while using Geritol. I was tired; I didn’t want to do one more thing to give me a false sense of hope. She persisted so I went to the store, bought a few bottles, and we begin taking a shot of Geritol every night. A few weeks later we celebrated Christmas in Las Vegas with my family and I could barely keep my eyes open the whole time.

We came back home and I continued to feel as if leaving the bed was harder than taking the SATs. Thursday evening I came home and started to prepare for our first fertility appointment that was scheduled for the next morning, but something in my spirit told me to take a test. HOW AWESOME IS GOD!!!!!! I was pregnant. After three tests, an ER visit, and a few phone calls we accepted that this was really happening!!!! Some say it was the HSG, some say it was the Geritol, and some say it was because I stopped trying. All these could be true, but deep in my soul I know that it was because I gave it over to God. I truly believe that He led me to every single person on this journey to teach me that it is not about the end result but the journey. Without this amazing journey I could not be a testimony to so many women that are trying to conceive, to women who think their chances are over, to couples that news of infertility destroy their marriage, to myself every time I look in the mirror.

The Adventures of the First Trimester in Photos (and geez was it a busy trimester)

Baby Updates:

Today we are: 11 weeks & 6 days (due date is Sept 14 and the same day as my dear friend Angela’s birthday). The first few weeks we were considered high risk due to the fibroid, however the risks are decreasing every week. The doctor told us that the size of the fibroid is compared to that of a baby’s head so as I progress in my pregnancy it will feel as if I am carrying twins at some points. Geez!!!! We are hoping the fibroid reduces in size so that I can have a natural birth, but if a C-section is the worst that could happen I will take it.

Today the baby is the size of: a large plum

Cravings: Watermelon, French fries, and beef (yes sometimes all together)

Next Appointment: March 8 (we should have a nice ultrasound to share with you next Friday)

Mochi Update: She has been completely and totally a baby since I have been pregnant. When she is sleepy she will literally crawl on top of my stomach and fall asleep. I hope this means she will be best friends with the baby.

Mommy feels: A lot better than the first few weeks, however trips to the restroom in the middle of the night have slightly increased this week.

Thank you for joining us on this wonderful journey!

Always with love,

Modo